BTECs at college - Support thread 2

[TeenAndTween]

Following on from the 2015 thread to inform and support each other through the ups and downs of BTECs. Mainly aimed at y12/13 level, but BTECs alongside GCSEs more than welcome too. Plus anyone just considering BTECs and wanting information.

What I learned last year:

You have to hit the ground running as the very first piece of work may well count towards your final grade

DD's course has 3 options like this.

Subsidiary Diploma - 9 units (1 year, 9 units (5 units, then 4 more))
Diploma - 12 units total (2 year, 6 units each year)
Extended Diploma 18 units total (2 year, 9 units each year, 5 in first half of year, 4 in second half)

DD is doing the Diploma (2 A level equivalent), but the college ensures that they do all the 4 'compulsory' units in the first year so if someone drops out they can still qualify for the Subsidiary Diploma (1 A level equivalent?).

You pretty much have to pass every single unit in order to pass the whole thing. There are limited opportunities to re-submit, but there are some. The Pass criteria for DD's course are quite straightforward (if you can structure things properly which DD struggles with). The Merit criteria are harder, and the Distinction criteria need a good level of analysis (that DD doesn't have).

Each unit is made up of a number of Pass, Merit and Distinction criteria. To reach each level you have to meet all the criteria at that level. So if on your first assignment for a unit you miss a Merit criteria, you can't get higher than a pass for the unit (as far as I understand).

Each unit gives you a number of Points. For DD mainly it is 70 for a pass, 80 for a Merit and 90 for a Distinction. To Pass the whole thing she would need 12x70 points - 840, equivalent to EE A level grades. To get CC equivalent she needs 920 minimum. To get AA she would need 1000 points.

DD has up to 3 teachers at any time, each teaching a unit. They teach a bit, and then set an assignment. For a week or 2 they don't teach in some lessons and they use the time to get on with the assignment. Then more teaching and second assignment. Around 4 assignments per unit.

What you don't have to do is 'extra' exam practice, question practice etc. So all work is pretty much set. The students don't have to work out extras. (However exactly what is required for some criteria is about as clear as mud, and DD seems to get little/no feedback on assignments to help her improve for future ones. Sometimes there seem to be implicit requirements that DD doesn't catch on about.)

Disclaimer. I don't know if all BTECs are like DD's !

A couple of useful tables for reference:

Table showing UCAS points

A level equivalent UCAS

And finally the Pearson BTEC site from where you can find specs, unit descriptions, and pass/merit/distinction criteria.

(Praying for less of a roller-coaster this year).

DD is half way through a mixture of A levels and btec. She likes not having exams for all subjects, but definitely has pressure points throughout the year.

BTEC is a qualification only offered via Pearson (Edexcel) and yes in order to get the green light from OFQUAL they have had to change the spec to the government requirements

Whilst they haven't specified BTEC; the title of the course (and the old spec details) means it has to be a BTEC

Cricket and Draylon

It might not be BTEC, it could be OCR, or as they are now calling it CTEC / Cambridge technical.

Although it does look very like a BTEC spec.

Most likely the person writing the website blurb has nothing to do with the people actually teaching.

Sassh- OCR only do IT, not computing but you do raise an interesting issue with regards to the OCR Techs.

OCR have lost a lot of business with the recent changes, for example the level 2 IT which was a huge earner for them as so many schools entered whole cohorts; it was so easy to pick up a 'C' which is IMO the biggest reason vocational qualifications and the subject of IT is thought of so poorly.

I've only had a quick glance at the business spec for Level 3 and it wasn't anything exciting enough for me to leave the BTEC system.
Although given how terrible the new level 2 is and the lack of supporting material still to be published for the NQF I may yet move over

DD is thinking about doing Business, which I am keen on as it will keep future options open. Funny enough, I think she would be ok about doing presentations even though she gets really nervous about exams. Being severely dyslexic doesn't help her confidence with exams.

Hello everyone - I popped up on the old thread every now and again. ds3 has just finished his 2 yr extended diploma - he chose BTEC over A levels mainly because -he was desperate to leave school- exams cause him huge anxiety (his eyebrows fell out during his GCSEs and the GP said it was stress - they regrew soon his last exam)

I work as one of a team of sencos in a college where >75% study BTECs over A levels, the vast majority of L1 and L2 students will also be studying English and maths alongside their BTEC

T&Ts post on what she has learned is very helpful. I would suggest downloading the spec, unit descriptions and p/m/d descriptors as they are very handy for doing the assignments. Also useful to know that although students are not issued with text books, there will always be a copy in the library/LRC and cheap copies can be found by using book price

DS2 is starting a level 3 diploma/extended diploma in software development (incl games and apps.) Not sure if it's a BTEC but I think so. He has ASD and an EHCP.

He should get his 5 A* to Cs on Thursday but A levels are definitely not for him. Except possibly maths AS, but he'd rather not! I'm hoping he'll do well enough to get on to an apprenticeship or vocational course at 18, which will have to be MMM minimum I think.

The college is friendly but not very communicative with parents, which with my DS could be a problem. No uniform, very relaxed, but they do have a good learning support department. Most of their DC with EHCPs are level 1/2 or even lower, though so DS2 may test them.

He is academically average but needs quite a lot of support. He had a scribe for GCSEs and will need a lot help with organisation. He's not got a dyspraxia DX but he meets nearly all the criteria, there's a huge amount of crossover with ASD so it's never seemed worth getting the separate DX.

Must buy some files and paper. Any recommendations? Ring binders always seem to open and drop all the work out, but lever arch are too big to lug about.

Ellen Has someone told you that the college is not very communicative? With ASD I would expect more communication.

My DS's college (actually his department not sure about the rest) said that there was no need to be contacting parents unless there was a problem but any concerns and we were welcome to contact them. IAnd boy they did contact during the last month but thank goodness they did!

My DS used hardback A4 notebooks

Everything from the college seems to be emailed directly to DS, who never checks his emails. I've had to chase them up a few times about transition meetings etc. The autism coordinator has visited DS at his school, (great,) but I didn't know until school mentioned it. I have emailed the learning support contact who came to DS's annual review and not received any reply a couple of times despite copying in the autism coordinator.

I think they'll be good with DS but I'll have to keep on the ball and request that they copy everything to me and not depend on him. He's not one of their 'life skills' students but he does need a similar level of support. His problem is that he's academically able which people seem to mistake for being able to cope. I hope I don't come across as 'that parent' but I do know I need to be hands on.

Hard backed notebooks would be good, thanks.

It is standard practice in FE colleges for all communication to go to the student rather than the parents as they are over 16. In our college the LD dept work closely with parents and for those on mainstream courses we communicate with the parents directly if the student has given us permission.

Every student however will have their individual learning record on the college VLE which can be accessed from home and where you can see everything regarding the course, be it assignment deadlines, marks awarded, background reading references and targets set by lecturers or ALS staff. We also record any tutorials, sessions with specialist staff ie ASD coordinator, dyslexic teachers, support mentors etc. All reviews and disciplinaries along with causes to celebrate will be there. For those with EHC Plans there may well be a copy of parts E and F on there too. Each college will do it slightly differently but I would thoroughly recommend that you all ask your dc to give you access to their eILP (electronic individual learning plan)

Draylon; the website for the college replicates the spec of the BTEC 2010 spec; if they are moving to the OCR than please ensure your DS wants to study the available units for this qualification as it is very different from the one they are advertising.

link to BTEC IT 2010 spec (which your DS can't enrol on, but it is the one being advertised)

link to the BTEC 2016 IT spec

link to the 2016 Computing BTEC spec

link to OCR Level 3 Cambridge Technicals in IT

as you can see the specs are very different, especially given the advertised course is Computing for IT practitioners whereas the OCR is IT based (they don't offer a Tech in computing), and the new BTEC specs are now IT and a different course for computing

Draylon I'm finding it hard to comprehend how unclear the Eastleigh course seems to be, so close to the start of term.
Did you apply to Brock in the end at all, if it turns out the Eastleigh one has changed inappropriately?
(NB Brock buses have changed, DD is going by train this term).

eatyourveg, very useful, thank you. I'll ask to be copied in on everything at DS2's enrolment, he will happily give permission.

Hi, DS has just got his results for his Level 2 Mech Eng BTEC: Double merit pass so now just fingers crossed that he has passed his GCSE English (college supported a resit next to his level 2 course) to be accepted onto the Level 3 course.

The costs have broken down as follows:

College overalls and safety boots £50
Bus to college £160/term

The course has really suited him. Being quiet, well behaved but not academic meant that he slipped below the radar at school.

That's the BTEC Computing 2016 spec I think as linked by cricketballs above. Look at the unit list on page 19. At least U16 & U7 are the same, didn't cross check all of them.

Hmm, DS's course seems to match up with the 2010 BTEC in IT (Software Development.) Has this been superseded by the 2016 BTECs? Can he no longer do the 2010 spec starting this year for 2 years?

Ah, answered my own question. The new BTEC diplomas and extended diplomas in IT start in 2017. I think he's just scraped into the older ones by a year. Good, hate being a Guinea pig for new courses. That'll be poor old DS3's job with the new GCSEs and those starting the BTEC certificate.

Oh, and all the new BTECs in computing are starting this year, too, by the look of it.